Pump.



m. 691,5l2. I Patenied Jan. 21, 1902. E. WHITNEY.

I PUMP.

(Application filed Apr. 29. 1901,)

(No Model.)

NITED STATES PATENT O FICE.

GEORGE E. WHITNEY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO WHITNEY MOTORWAGON COMPANY, OF KI'I'IERY, MAINE, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

PUMP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 691,512, dated January21, 1902.

. Application filed April 29, 1901. herial No. 57,918. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE E. WHITNEY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Boston, in the county of Sufiolk and State of Massachusetts,have invented an Improvement in Pumps, of which the followingdescription, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is aspecification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

My invention has for its object to provide a novel and improved pumpadapted for any of the uses to which pumps are ordinarily applied. Myinvention, however, is particularly useful in connection with and isdesigned with especial reference to motor-vehicles where it is desirableto use a pump of the smallest possible size and of the highesteflicienoy.

In .pumps as ordinarily constructed and adapted for the above use thereis a relatively large amount of clearance between the plunger and theinlet and discharge valves, and this clearance is aserious objection.For instance, if the water in the supply-tank becomes exhausted, or ifthere be any leak in any of the supply connections, air will be drawninto the pump-cylinder, and so much of this air as is contained in orcan be compressed into this clearance cannot be expelled from thecylinder by the reciprocations of the plunger, and the air thuscompressed into this clearance by successive strokes of the plunger soonreaches such a pressure that even when expanded to fill the entirecylinder upon the upstroke of the plunger it prevents the lifting of theinlet or suction valve, and consequently prevents the entrance of waterto the pump-cylinder after the tank has been refilled or the leakstopped. The pump is then air-locked, as it is commonly known. This isparticularly dangerous when the pump is used in connection with any formof automatic regulator, for reliance being placed upon the regulator thelatter will frequently call for more water while the pump is thusair-locked and unable to meet the demand. Great difticulty is alsoencountered in providing pumps that are cheaply and compactly made andin which the valve-closures are sufficiently tight to insure permanentsuccessful operation of the pump.

One aim of my present invention is to provide a pump having so littleclearance that when pumping against any ordinary pressure it isimpossible to compress therein a sufficient volume of air to prevent thelifting of the inlet valve or valves on the return stroke of theplunger. My invention also aims to otherwise simplify and improve a pumpso that it may be safely relied upon to perform its intended functionsat all times.

' In the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical section of a pump,illustrating one form of my invention; Fig. 2, a cross-section taken on.

the dotted line 2 2, Fig. l; and Fig. 3, a diagrammatic viewillustrating one manner of using my improved pump in connection Withmotor-vehicles.

Referring to the drawings in the particular form of my invention thereshown, a is the pump barrel or cylinder of suitable capacity andconstruction ,it being here shown as counterbored at a. to receive thepacking a held in place by the gland a acted upon by theinternally-threaded nut a, screwed upon the threaded exterior of the endof the pump-cylinder. Instead of the particular form of packing hereshown any other Well-known means may be employed for maintaining properworking fit between the plunger and the pump-cylinder.

The pump-cylinder is shown provided with a ring-like lip 19, betweenwhich and the nut 12', also threaded upon the exterior of the cylinder,may be clamped any suitable support for the pump to hold the latter inworking position. Within the pump-cylinder is arranged the plunger orpiston c, that may be of suitable shape and construction and of properlength determined by the stroke of the pump. As here shown, the saidplunger is tubular in form and has threaded in its lower end the plug orhead 0, to which is jointed at c the lower forked end of the pitman orconnecting-rode? The connecting-rod extends upical valve-seat (1, withinwhich enters the inlet-passage d, with which the inlet-pipe of the pumpis connected in usual manner. The inlet-valve is shown at (Z and ispreferably in the form of a balhbecause I have found in practice that aball-valve may be more safely relied upon to maintain permanently atight fit with its seat than any other form of valve. I attribute thislargely to the fact that when the ball is lifted from its seat by theaction of the inflowing fluid itis kept 'constantly turning or moving,and thus rarely presents the same portion of its surface twice insuccession in contact with its seat.

It will be noticed that the inlet-valve d is substantially wholly withinthe pump-cylinder, in the walls of which its seat is formed,

and that the movement of the valve in lifting from its seat likewise iswithin the said.

cylinder. In other words, its movements are substantially wholly withinthe limits of the stroke of the plunger, the latter being recessed orcupped at its end, as at to clear said Thus when the plunger is in itslowermost position its end practically meets the valve.

and at one side is shown perforated, as at 6,,.

. to provide a discharge port or passage, the

same entering an annular conical disiehargevalve seat 6, also formed inoronIthei-wall" of the said cylinder, but opening exteriorly therefromand preferably within the thread the valve andthe wires 0 properlysupported Y Within said nipple. By forming the two valveseats d and e inthe wall of the pump-cylinder itself I am enabled to bring the two seatsinto sucholose proximity to the plunger and to each other that theclearance is reduced to a minimum, as is apparent from the drawing Fig.1, and it is perfectly evident that any fluid, whether water or air,that may be drawn into the pump-eylindermust be completelyexpelled, orsubstantially so, therefrom at each downstroke of the plunger. Thusthere can never be'sufficient air or fluid compressed within thepump-cylinder and the connections leading thereto upon the downstroke ofthe plunger to prevent proper lifting of the inlet-valve under theaction of the water seeking to enter the cylinder through theinletpassage 01.

Referring to Fig. 3, the water-tank of a typical motor-vehicle isindicated at W, the

While not always necessary,

inlet-pipe w leading therefrom and being connected with theinlet-passage of the pump. The delivery-passage e of the pump is shownconnected with the delivery-pipe w,that leads to the boiler, with aby-pass 'w leading back again to the water-tank under the control of avalve located, for instance, at 10 and with a check-valve at 10 toprevent water from the boiler entering the by-pass. The whole capacityof the pump may be relied upon at all times, and the portion thereofthat is delivered into the boiler may be regulated at will by opening orclosing the valve 10 that regulates the proportion of the pump deliverythat will return through the by-pass to the water-tank.

It will be apparent from the-foregoing description and from; thedrawings that a pump made in accordance with my invention is extremelycompact, in fact being reduced almost .to the smallest possibledimensions for a given ,capacity. It is also extremely cheap tomanufacture,-for the entire cylinder is in one body or casting, and'thecylinder may be bored out .and the inner valve-seat formed at a singleoperation by boring straight in from the top and the discharge-passagewith the dischargevalve seat similarly formed by boring in fromthe'side. More than this, the arrangement of the valve -seats as shownand described insures always a proper operation of the pump without anyobjectionable clearance.

While I have here shown and described my invention inthe best form yetdevised by me, my invention isnot restricted to the particular formshown and described, for it is evident that it may be varied in manyparticulars as to arrangement and construction without departing fromthe spirit and scope of myinvention, and while I prefer to useballvalves, for reasons hereinbefore stated, obviously any well-known orsuitable-form of valve may be used. 7

Having described my invention and without limiting myself as to details,what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The herein-described pump comprising a cylinder having aninlet-passage in one of its ends, and a ball-valve therefor containedsubstantially wholly in said cylinder, a plunger cup-shaped at its endto receive closely the said ball-valve when the latter is seated, anoutlet-passage leading laterally from said cylinder at its delivery endand provided therefor in and controlling said outlet-pasof said cylinderwhereby substantially all clearance is eliminated at the end of aplunger-stroke.

2. The herein-described pump comprising a one-piece body, boredlongitudinally to provide a pump-cylinder having an inlet-passage in oneof its ends and a ball-valve therefor contained substantially wholly insaid cylinder,alaterally-extended portion on said body, bored to providean outlet-passage for and at the end of said cylinder, anoutwardlydirected valve-seat formed in the wall 01; said cylinder and aspring-supported ball-valve therefor in and controlling saidoutlet-passage, said valve when seated being substantially tangent tothe inner circumference of 7 said cylinder, anda plunger cup-shaped atIO its end to receive closely the said inlet ballvalve when the latteris seated, whereby substantially all clearance is eliminated at the nameto this specification in the presence of I 5 two subscribing witnesses.

. GEORGE E. WHITNEY. Witnesses. v

FREDERICK L. EMERY. ANNIE E. GHEsLEY.

